Fiona's Nightmare
by thigdon
Summary: THIGDON's fan fic for Haunting Ground


Fiona's Nightmare

By THIGDON

The pale moonlight cast a faint shadow over Fiona's sleeping body. She writhed uneasily in her bed, dreaming of the nightmares of her recent past - the nightmares that were much too real. Shadowy figures moved in the darkness. Pained voices cried out in the bleak night of her dream world. Misery was her master, and Fiona could not break free from its strong and deadly grasp.

Had it all been a dream? Were the events of the past few days mere figments of her imagination? How had it happened? Why her? Some questions are never meant to be answered. Some answers should never be known. Still, she pondered the uncertainty of it all. The horrid truth of her journey would be with her for years to come, if not for the rest of her shattered life.

With a jolt, Fiona awakened from her troubled sleep. Her sore body told the tale all too well. These bruises were definitely not in her mind. She ached with pain, but somehow survived. She stretched her tired frame, wincing with agony. Checking her bedside clock, she realized it was far too early to rise, yet some strange force compelled her to awaken. Still in somewhat of a dreamlike state, Fiona slowly stepped onto the cold, stone floor and approached her open bedroom window.

The night sky was clear and unobstructed by clouds or fog. Fiona could make out the various constellations in the sky. As a child, she used to spend hours studying the star formations, often making up epic stories involving the constellation characters– her favorite being Orion the Hunter. For a moment she wished Orion could leap down from the cosmos and whisk her away to some place safe, some place warm and free of evil. If only Orion could save her, if only Orion were real…

She withdrew these thoughts as foolish and gazed further toward the horizon. No one could help her, no one would ever soar down from the stars to come to her aid, and no one would ever understand her – not after what she had been through. No, her life would be a mystery to most, including herself. Some things are impossible to explain or understand. Such is the way of destiny.

In the night's darkness, Fiona thought she noticed some movement in a nearby copse of trees. The image was hard to make out. What was that thing moving in the shadows? The unknown entity shuddered and quaked with an unearthly motion. None of God's creatures moved in such a way. Its stance was hunched over, and its appendages flailed about in a random yet malevolent motion. It was definitely evil…and coming towards her.

Fiona stood motionless, gripped by fear and powerless to react. The beast moved slowly closer and closer in her direction. It was as if Fiona was in a state of hypnosis; she was immobilized, but increasingly more conscious of her impending doom. Fear grew within her as she began to imagine the unholy things this beast was likely to do. She had to do something – quickly. Shaking the fog from her mind, she snapped out of her trance.

Her first instinct was to fight, but that thought quickly fled. She was not the fighting type, despite her will to survive. Her strength lied within her spirit, if not in her petite body. She had access to no weapons, and her room was painfully devoid of any defensive tools – no bars on her windows, no iron-clad door to fasten. She was woefully vulnerable, and the beast inched closer with her every heaving breath.

Once again panic gripped Fiona's soul. The room seemed to whirl about in a maelstrom of chaos. Her heartbeat accelerated as her stomach twisted into knots of panic and nausea. There was nowhere to run. She felt herself drop to her knees in horrified anticipation of her unseemly end. All hope seemed to be lost.

Just then, from underneath her bed, a bright white form burst toward the open window. With a blaze of fur and fangs, it was Fiona's canine companion, Hewie. Of course! Why hadn't she thought of him before? Hewie could handle this. Hewie always came through for her.

In the blink of an eye, Hewie charged towards the grim figure on the window sill. With all his strength, Hewie attacked the unwelcome beast with legendary vigor. The encounter was brief. The Alsatian's powerful jaws drew first blood, sending the vile, but easily wounded creature back into the darkness. The pitiful cries of the retreating monster pierced the still night, until all became quiet.

Fiona rushed to embrace her loving companion. Once again she thanked him for his vigilance and, more importantly, his friendship. Fiona had lost much in the previous weeks, perhaps more than she could ever know, but she released now more than ever that she could always count on the love of her good friend.

With a long and draining yawn, she climbed back into her soft, warm bed. Hewie took his post at the foot of the bed, ever watchful for the dark things that come in the night. Fiona was comforted by his presence, and she drifted off into a peaceful slumber. The demons that haunted her were not gone, but for the first time in quite some time, she knew she was free: free to forget the past, free to dream, free to be happy again.


End file.
